How Do Structured Cabling Contractors Handle Fiber Optic Restoration?
Smooth
network connectivity is crucial for small and medium-sized businesses. Fiber
optic cables are the backbone of a seamless communication network; they offer
high-speed connectivity, secure data transmission, and reliability. Fiber optic cable
installers integrate fiber optic cabling installation to ensure they are immune to
damage from accidental cuts, wear and tear, or environmental factors.
These
damages may disrupt daily operations, incur heavy costs, hamper security, and
much more. To avoid these damages, it's important to have quick fiber optic
restoration, which leads to minimum downtime, smooth operations, and security
enhancement. So, if you're wondering how structured cabling contractors handle
Fiber Optic restoration, then this article is just right for you.
Table of Content
● Introduction
● How Structured Cabling
Contractors Handle Fiber Optic Restoration
● Types of Fiber Optic Cable
Damage
● Tools used in Fiber Optic Restoration
● Conclusion
How Structured Cabling Contractors Handle Fiber Optic Restoration
Structured
Cabling contractors play an important role in handling the fiber optic
restoration. They use multiple techniques, tools, and procedures to identify,
repair, and restore optical paths.
Following
are steps structured cabling contractors use to handle the fiber optic
restoration.
1)
Identify and Inspect
The fiber optic cable installers must identify the
problem or damage that is visible due to cut or external environment conditions
and assess the extent of damage caused in fiber optic cabling installation. The
fiber optic installers may use OTDR to inspect the exact location of the break
which helps in reducing the area that needs to be dug up which saves time and effort.
2)
Gather Tools
Collect the right tools for restoring the fiber optic
cables such as fiber optic cutter, video microscopes, fusion splicer, optical
loss test set, and OTDR which help in handling the fiber optic cable
effectively and efficiently.
3)
Cut and Strip
The fiber optic cutter helps to remove any damaged
section that it holds also the fiber optic stripper is used to remove the
protective coating in the fiber ends.
4)
Use Flow chart
The fiber optic installers must use the structured and
step-by-step flow chart to analyze the problem design the solutions and restore
the optical path which is the perfect solution for the cable issue.
5)
Prepare Fiber Ends
It's important to have proper fiber optic cable ends
as they are important for fiber optic cabling installation fiber optic
installers strip the unnecessary cable, cleave them, and clean the fiber ends
as not even minute dust can enter for proper installation of fiber optic.
6)
Splice the fiber
The fiber optic cables are delicate so it's important
to use the fusion splicer that connects and fuses the fiber ends together for
better connectivity and allows the light to pass through with minimal loss.
Types of Fiber Optic Cable Damage
Fiber
optic cables are ideal for long connectivity but they are delicate too to
handle. Here are some types of damages that may hamper Fiber optic cables and
need timely restoration.
❖ Physical damage is having
small cuts, breaks, and kinks, in fiber optic cables as damages are clearly
seen which may be caused by the external environment.
❖ Environmental damage is
another common fiber optic cable damage that may occur due to extreme heat
conditions, water overflow, UV exposure, rodent damage, etc. which degrade the
cables over time.
❖ Small or micro bends and
Large or Macrobands in fiber optic cables lose the signals and impact the
network performance significantly.
❖ Connector damage at the end
of cables also may disrupt the signal transmission.
Tools used in
Fiber Optic Restoration
Fiber
optic cable restoration or repairing them from time to time is essential as it
frees up the hassle of costly fiber optic cabling installation from scratch in
any business.
Following
are the tools used in the restoration of the fiber optic cables that result in
smooth operations.
➢ Fiber Optic Cutter: They are designed to make precise
cuts in the fiber optic cables as these are delicate and they are important for
splicing.
➢ OTDR: Optical Time Domain Reflectometer acts as a radar which
omits the light pulse down the cable and they reflect when hit to fault or
break. OTDRs are essential as they hit back in the exact location where damage
occurs.
➢ Fusion Splicer: They use heat to fuse the fiber ends together as
fusion splicers create the connection that allows light to pass through with
very little cost.
➢ Fiber Optic Stripper: This removes the protective coating
in fiber optic cables and exposes them to bare fiber inside as this is a very
delicate task that requires precision without damaging the fiber inside.
Conclusion
The
issue and failure of fiber optic cable may cause slow data transmission,
reduced security, slow internet connectivity, etc. so it's important fiber optic installers fix the damage that occurred
with the fiber optic cabling installation.
The
reliable structured cabling contractors must be able to handle the Fiber Optic
Restoration as it ensures long-term connectivity, reliability, and network
performance. A small mistake in restoring fiber optic cable may lead to
disruption, heavy cost, and damage. So handle the fiber optic restoration
carefully by selecting the right fiber optic installer handle by structured cabling
contractors.
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